Paul A H

Very nice indeed.

Hi everyone This will be my first wip thread. I've decided to do a wip simply because the Hobbyboss 1/48 T34-85 is so detailed (the box says over 400 parts - I haven't counted to check) that it will probably take me a while to get it finished. It's been said that this kit is a scaled down version of the Trumpeter 1/16 model, so that should give you an idea of the level of detail I'm talking about. So... here are some pictures of the box and some of the sprues. I also ordered the RBM alu gun barrel - a snip at £1.32 from modelsforsale.com I decided to stray from the instructions straight away and start building the engine. It's been painted and is now awaiting some weathering Paul

Nice job, that's looking great. The decals are eye-catching too!

Thanks for the tip Ross, I'll be sure to avoid the Sherman. The Tamiya kits are not without their faults though; I had to file down the die-cast metal lower hull of the Cromwell to get the top of the hull to fit properly! All part of what makes modelling fun...

That's shaping up to be a lovely build. How did you find the Hobbyboss kit to put together? I've just bought their T34-85 and it looks great in the box.

Thanks guys!

That's a nice model. I love the toolbox, is that part of the kit?

Thanks for the kind comments everyone!

Funny you should mention that; I ordered the Hobbyboss kit from Modelsforsale.com and splashed out on the aluminium barrel while I was there. I'll look into the braided cable too, although Hobbyboss provide it in their kit (take note Tamiya...). That's the beauty of AFVs though - it's fairly easy to prize the old cable off and add a new one (or cover it with tarp!)

Hi everyone. This is my Tamiya 1/48 Panzer III Ausf. L. It was built out of the box using the kit decals for a tank of the 10th Panzer Division, Tunisia February 1943. It's only my third AFV effort but I'm pleased with how it turned out. It is finished mainly in Tamiya acrylics. The base coat is dark yellow, post-shaded with dark yellow/german grey and highlighted with dark yellow/flat white in progressivley lighter shades. after the basic paint job I applied a coat of Citadel Purity Seal (a fantastic satin aerosol varnish) and then a promodeller dark dirt wash. The paint chipping was done with german grey and a little Citadel boltgun metal. More paint fading effects were added by applying some tiny dots of white oil paint and then running an old brush loaded with thinner vertically down through the paint dots. The tracks were painted before they were attached to the wheels using a dark acrylic mixture (can't remember exactly which colours were used!) and then a wash with thinned Mig pigments; industrial city dirt and standard rust. Once dry they were drybrushed with boltgun metal. The whole model received a dusting of Mig pigments (mainly beach sand) and finally a light coat of decanted humbrol matt acrylic varnish. Overall this was a really enjoyable build (although painting the rubber tyres on the wheels was tedious!). A lot of the techniques I used I was trying for the first time, such as post-shading, oil paint streaking and paint chipping. Any comments are more than welcome. I'm lining up the Hobbyboss T-34 85 next. It looks a great kit in the box but I've heard a few grumbles about the kit online - has anyone here built it? It looks so detailed I might do a WIP thread! Thanks Paul

That's a nice model; the dry mud effect looks just right!

Duxford is probably at or near the top of the list, but both of the RAF museums (Hendon and Cosford) have a lot going for them. We went to Cosford back in January and were very impressed with the new National Cold War Exhibition, plus of course there is the prototype hanger. I've always been fond of Hendon too. The other plus is that both of these have free entry, whereas Duxford (good though it is) isn't cheap, especially if you're taking a family. Using Man-maths, free entry = extra £ to spend at the Hannnants shop next to Hendon - how can you go wrong?! The Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton is also superb, but I found some of the hangars infuriatingly dark. It all adds to the atmosphere, but it's terrible for taking photos, even if you have a decent camera outfit.

Hi Phil. Carbon fibre rods, eh? I might have to get me some of those. The stretched sprue antenna have snapped umpteen times and I'm sick of glueing them back on! Nice model, by the way. Thanks Paul

Thanks for the kind comments everyone. Before I glued the tracks to the wheels (using superglue) I painted them and gave them a wash of various Mig pigments diluted in Tamiya thinner. They then had more Mig pigments applied (at the same time as the wheels and the rest of the tank) and then a drybrush of Citadel boltgun metal. I know what you mean though - assembling and painting the running gear is probably my least favourite part of an armour build - like masking a complex canopy on an aircraft kit. I'm thinking of doing another one of these in the winter whitewash scheme, but I only have one photo of such a tank. I really like these Tamiya 1/48 kits but they are on the expensive side. Has anyone tried the Hobbyboss 1/48 kits?

Hi All This is my 1/48 Tamiya Cromwell IV. It's only my second attempt at armour, but I'm pretty happy with it. It's built out of the box except for the addition of some stretched sprue aerials. Finished mainly in Tamiya acrylics and Mig pigments. I spent ages post-shading it and was really happy with the result but it all seemed to disappear once the matt coat was applied - bah! Nevertheless, I really enjoyed building it and now have a few more 1/48 Tamiya tank kits in the stash. I should also mention that it was a birthday present from my brother - thanks Andy!

Nicely done. There's something about the Su-9/11... on the face of it, it's quite conventional, like a Su-7 or Mig-21, but the more I look at it, the more it strikes me it really is an unusual looking aircraft. There's a good feature on building the Tu-128 in the June 2007 SAM.

I think Peter Twiss was the first to break the 1000mph barrier. I'd love a new kit of the FD2 - surely one of the best looking planes ever to fly?!

Thanks John, much appreciated.

Wow, that is one inspirational model. What other types might have worn a scheme like that?

Great stuff!

Very nice. I'd say that was two years well spent.

Same thing happened to me with a tin of natural steel a year or so ago. Much to my wife's amusement, I courageously blocked the paint blast with my face and didn't spoil the rug. I'm writing these gags down, by the way...

I've noticed this issue with Alclad too. Like you, I do all my spraying in the garage. When I used Alclad on my 1/72 Trumpeter Su-15 a few months back it was really cold and I got the same white marks all over it. I didn't need to sand it down though; Alclad is so thin that a sneaky re-spray in the nice warm spare room sorted everything out. Moral of the story? Save the NMF's for the summer!

Wow, I've never seen a Skyshark either. You're right, makes the Wyvern seem like a Spitfire!

Some lovely schemes there. Nicely finished models too!